The Blackened Steps
by ExtremeRainbowRaiderPrincess
Summary: Set before DMC 4. When an unknown evil threatens the world, those at Devil May Cry team up with a monster hunting family to save the world. But what happens when a family secret, connected to both sides, is revealed? Future Vergil/Lady pairing.
1. Prologue

_**DISCLAIMER: I own all three babies, the woman in black, the woman in white, Claire Lillith, the voice, the arms, Maximilian,** **Seraphina, the first wife, Flamius, Jolië, the monsters, Ziva, Angel, and Guantitus, the rest belong to their respected owners who are in no way shape or form I! I just own my OC's! Repeat: I own my OC's, nothing else!**_

**_WARNING: Uh… Nope, no spoilers in the Prologue, no swearing either._**

**_Summary: Just read. And the Prologue is set when Dante is y'know, three max._**

* * *

_Prologue…_

Two women entered a darkened library in a castle, both moving silently as they slipped across the room for the massive doors on the other side.

Two doors larger than the ones they were aiming for started opening far behind a human-sized desk, the only piece of furniture in the room they could reach in time. The women looked at each other before running and sliding, ducking in front of the desk as the doors opened completely, a large black and gold scarab walking out.

It had to be at least ten feet tall, probably taller, yet from how much the ground shook, weighed less than an elephant.

The woman in black nodded at the woman in white, the woman in black reaching for a hybrid grenade launcher-pistol slung over her shoulder.

The woman in white stopped her as the scarab waddled out the doors they came in, the massive doors behind them closing, before they scrambled to their feet and over to the next set of doors.

They pushed open one door, with a little trouble, and hurried inside, before closing it behind them.

"Hurry," the one in white said, "we don't have much time."

"Yeah, yeah." The one in black said before they both took off down the hall running, tied for who was in the lead, before the one in black took a sharp left, in the lead before she slid to a stop.

"Give me a break here!" She shouted, drawing her sword Collision. "You want to play?" She shouted as the monsters stormed up the halls towards her. "Then let's-"

"GO!" The woman in white jerked her by the back of her black leather duster, turning her around before letting go.

"What?" The one in black asked before her eyes widened.

The scarab was coming down the hall they had just come down.

"Great." She said, putting her sword on her back before they started running again, both of their leather dusters fanning behind them as they ran down the long hall behind them, to the scarab's right.

"AFTER THEM YOU FOOLS!" The scarab ordered his monster minions as the women ran as fast as they could, which was fast in human standards.

The one in black raised her right hand, gloved in black leather, as she ran. "Let's see just how much Hera cranked the power up." She said before turning and sliding to a stop, throwing her hand out.

A wall of red electricity slammed into the monsters, the scarab staying wisely out of sight as the monsters were thrown back, disappearing as it was revealed they were illusions.

"Can't even hire good minions, huh?!" She shouted before turning and running after the woman in white, the scarab going after them.

They reached a throne room of sorts, the room in shambles with large sections of the floor missing, the drop into the darkness seemingly never-ending, as the one in black looked over her shoulder before looking ahead. "Go," she tapped the one in white on the shoulder before turning and stepping back into the hall. "I'll deal with ugly."

Not needing to be told a second time {Because who in their right mind would turn around and say, "No, I'll fight him."?}, she assessed the area before leaping, kicking off the massive pillar to her right before landing on her feet in a remaining section of the floor, taking a running start as it crumbled behind her, before leaping, soaring through the air before throwing a grapple, the magnetic section at the end holding onto a ruined chandelier as she swung into the not-quite-ruined hallway, releasing the grapple just before the chandelier crashed into the nothingness behind her.

Landing on her feet, she stopped as the hallway rumbled. "That's not good." She said. Turning, she went to the edge of the hallway. The doors into the throne room were shut.

"Oh great." She muttered.

Turning, she sighed before removing a pair of sunglasses from her jacket and pulled them on, tapping a small button on the rim before night vision came on.

"Let's see what they have in store for me then." She said, starting down the hallway quietly but quickly.

Soon she reached a man-sized door, several heavy-duty locks in place outside of the door, but none were locked. So, after making sure the door wasn't rigged to blow or something, she opened the door and stepped inside, leaving it open as she silently approached the raised box in the center of the room.

She stopped and stared down at the object in the center. "Hello." She said before picking the object up and holding carefully, it was fragile, before turning and heading for the door.

She left the room as quickly as she dared before starting down the hall away from the ruined throne room, praying for an exit.

Before long she reached a hallway leading to the room that would get the object out of there.

She started up the hall before a roaring sounded and the woman in the black was sprinting up the hall behind her.

"GO! RUN!" She screamed, flipping in the air as her duster twisted before becoming massive black wings as she drew her sword.

"Let's do this!" She yelled, the scarab coming up the hall towards them.

The woman in white fled down the halls of the mansion, the bundle in her arms, checking over her shoulder once before looking forward again, fleeing for the portal room.

It had been a long night, and it wasn't going to end any time soon. She grimaced, running as fast as she dared.

The woman in black yelled before she was thrown into the wall, pushing off of it and using her wings to soar through the halls towards Guantitus- Yes, the scarab had a name. "GET THAT BABY OUT OF HERE!" She roared before metal met pincher as the woman in black battled the large scarab.

The young woman carrying the baby ran into the portal room, placing the baby gently down on the altar, the cream cloth securely wrapped around her.

"God forgive me." She prayed before stepping back and using the pendant around her neck to activate the portal, a bright blue light growing as the baby began to cry.

"You'll never have this baby!" The woman in black shouted, wielding her sword as she backed her way into the portal room, the ground shaking as the scarab came around the corner, slightly slower than before. She stumbled slightly before back flipping, ready to fight as much as she could to protect that baby.

As the light flared, the scarab roared, "NO!" And lunged for the portal, the woman in black diving out of the way, sheathing her sword as she dodged, before grabbing the other woman by the arm and dragging her from the room in a run as the baby vanished, Guantitus missing her by ten feet.

As the two women fled down the cobblestone drive, the one in black let go and pushed the other a little. "I told you we should have come sooner! And next time- We're bringing grenades!" She said loudly before starting up the path, slowly to admire the scenery. It would be a long time before they would see this place again, and yet it wouldn't be them…

The other woman snorted. "You would have killed us all if armed with those things!" She flared her hands and a white portal opened before she ran for it.

"Na-uh. Our future rested in our hands tonight- And I think we should leave a note somewhere that we need grenades the next time!" The one in black argued before the one who opened the portal entered the portal.

The one in black stopped, looking back at the castle, a smirk on her face, before she sighed and turned back, stepping through the portal as her clothes turned white.

The portal snapped shut as Guantitus cursed them, not realizing what had just happened…

"No matter what you fools do," he growled, turning into a tall man, "that maybe will unlock the gates of hell and then she will reign over the planet." He growled, slamming his fist into the ground before roaring in anger.

* * *

Sparda watched as two blue lights lit up the stone, his sons playing in the background with some toys while their mother went shopping.

_Could it… No. No, he died a long time ago… Unless… But how?_ Sparda shook his head before looking at his sons and smiling. Whatever was coming- He knew his sons would be ready for it.

But as he looked at the stone once more, he noticed two more faint lights appearing, these two red.

_What the…? What is going on?! Angel was no surprise- But this?! Something is wrong._

He had no idea how right he was.

He returned to the room with the twins as Dante looked up and waved at him, Virgil shaking his head at his twin. Sometimes the boys were the same, yet so very, very different…

Eva entered the room behind him and the boys cheered before climbing to their feet and hurrying towards her.

"My darlings!" She said cheerfully, dropping to her knees and opening her arms as the boys rushed over and hugged her, and she returned the hugs.

Sparda smiled at them. Everything was right once more, and he would protect them until he no longer could.

"What? No hugs for me?" He asked in a mock-hurt tone.

Dante looked up from hugging Eva. "C'mere Daddy. Group hug!" Virgil looked up and nodded wordlessly.

As Sparda was about to respond, the doorbell rang.

He shot Eva a 'get the kids and hide' look, which she did, before he answered the door, the person ringing the doorbell for the fourth time.

He silently stepped over to the door and looked into the peephole.

Ziva.

He opened the door quickly and stuck his head out, making sure it wasn't a trap, before shooing her inside. "Eva, it's safe to come out." He said loud enough for her to hear.

The boys returned to playing as Eva, Sparda, and Ziva went into the next room to look at the stone, the lights growing stronger.

Ziva looked at them and sighed. "Just as I feared- They sent them here. You must keep your eyes open just in case you ever meet one of them. If that is the case… Tell them what you know, or whatever you can tell them in the time allotted."

Sparda nodded while Eva spoke. "What if…" They looked at her. "What if they don't believe us or what if… What if we're too late?"

Ziva sighed. "Then you are too late. We never know what the future has in store for us, and with the four of them… We have a shot. Anything's possible though."

Sparda wrapped his arm around Eva's waist. "We'll be ready." He said.

Eva nodded. She just prayed that she, the boys, and Sparda wouldn't be forced to choose sides, breaking their family up.

* * *

A large red portal opened outside of Madame Claire Lillith's mansion, a tall woman with golden hair pulled back in a harsh bun and a long black dress glided out, gliding over to the portal as a pair of arms deposited one basinet, then a second, on the lawn before going back into the portal, the portal closing with a howling noise.

She grinned, holding her joined hands to her face, as she stopped over the basinets, two babies in them.

"Oh, aren't you two adorable. And the perfect rules." She cooed, waving her long fingers at them, the nails on those fingers long as well and painted black. "Yes you are, yes you are."

The babies giggled, making her smile. "Aw... How adorable..."

She stopped and looked at the sky, a massive swirling red cloud over the mansion and the three-hundred-some acres of land. "Soon…" She purred. She looked down. "Very soon…" She giggled, covering her mouth, before lowering her hand. "I shall you both…" She looked at the girl. "Shannon and…" She looked at the boy. "Spike." She giggled again. "Perfect names my children." She gasped. "My children…" Her eyes widened. "Mine."

_**They are yours until they come into their full power, then they are no longer.**_ A deep, dark voice said from the cloud.

She bowed. "Of course master…" She looked at Shannon and Spike once more. "But until then, they and I are family…"

* * *

Mary sat in her playpen, playing with a stuffed bear as her father argued with her mother in the next room, the doors closed.

The yelling grew louder and she frowned as she stopped playing. Even though she was a toddler, she knew what a fight was, and she could piece together bits of the conversation, even though she didn't know what the words meant… Well, she knew what some of them meant…

"_She _will someday be very powerful. We should teach _her_ to respect me before _she_ is too old. _She_ could help me-" Her father, Arkham said, when his wife Kalina-Ann interrupted him.

"No! Arkham, she's going to be a normal child. None of this…" Mary stopped listening. Boring. For a toddler that is.

She giggled as she danced the bear around.

How this sweet, innocent child grew up to be Lady, no one would ever truly know.

In the next room, Arkham growled. "With Flamius and Jolië possibly gone, no one can stop me."

"Arkham- Jolië was my friend. I wish you could speak about her in a respective way." Kalina-Ann said, turning her back to her husband.

He growled. "Someday, I will complete every plan I make, and no one, not you, Mary, Flamius, or Sparda can stop me."

_No,_ Kalina-Ann thought,_ but Flamius and Jolië's children can._ She got to work on straightening the desk as he left the room as she sighed. She wished he would be the man she had fallen in loved with and married, but, she feared, that man was long gone.

* * *

Maximilian Foire glanced at his watch once again, worried seeing as how they were late, very late.

His wife, Seraphina, placed her hand on his shoulder. "Maximilian," she purred into his ear, "they'll be fine. You trust the girls, don't you? Hmm?"

He sighed. Seraphina was his second wife, his first wife having died in childbirth. "I trust them I just…" He shook his head sadly. "My children deserve better than this, better than everything I could ever dream of offering them."

Seraphina sneered behind him before digging her nails into his shoulders. "It will get better my love," she cooed as he raised an eyebrow, looking at the nails digging into his muscular shoulder, "soon."

The portal opened and the two women shot through, the darker one sneering at Seraphina, who sneered back, while the lighter one looked at Maximilian with a raised eyebrow.

"Are they-" He started.

"They are safe." She replied in a cold tone, making even Seraphina feel a slight chill. "For now. I cannot guaranty how long they will stay safe though."

The darker one turned her piercing gaze on Maximilian. "He will come for them, someday." She said, her voice colder than the light one.

He nodded. "All right. Will I able to protect them?"

"They will be able to protect themselves." The dark one said before they turned and started down the sidewalk, walking in unison before the fog swallowed them.

Even as Seraphina hugged him from behind, purring comforting words, he felt a pit in his stomach. Somehow he knew his daughters and son were not going to be all right.

* * *

The dark one looked at the light one. "Think they'll ever figure it out?" She asked as they approached the boat named _The Black Swan_.

The one in white raised an eyebrow. "Which one?" She asked.

The one in black shrugged. "Both."

The one in white sighed. "We've been over this. Max will know not long before… The calamity…" She sighed again. "And the children will know. Period."

The one in black sighed as raised her arms, clutching her hands behind her head as she walked. "Shame. I was hoping life would be different for them."

The one in white rolled her brown eyes. "We've been over that as well: Life will never change for them, no matter what we do."

The one in black scoffed. "If someone dies it will change."

The one in white stopped as the on in black kept going. "You really would kill someone just to change the past?" She asked, raising both eyebrows as she crossed her arms.

The one in black snorted, dropping her arms to walk backwards towards the boat. "No, but I just wish they'd never have to do some of the things that they will someday… Like facing Oriku…"

The one in white nodded and sighed. "I know, but it's the only way. Unless they figure out a way around it."

The one in black placed her hands behind her head in thought before scoffing and dropping her arms. "Fat chance." She turned and leapt into onto small yacht.

The one in white nodded slowly. "I know." She said to herself before the one in black fired the boat up and the one in white had to take a running jump to get onto the boat before they pulled away from the dock.

She watched as they drove out of the fog, the city swallowed whole. Someday, they would be back, yet at the same time, _**they**_ wouldn't be.

* * *

_Yes, yes, I know. 'The characters stink, the plotline is thinner than tissue paper, the bad guy is a loser', yes, yes, yes. Ask anyone who knows me- This is who I am. And about Sparda… I'm still working the kinks out- But hey, the guy wasn't Jesus! Even he had his off days! Have fun with this long fic of mine. {Grins devilishly before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.}_


	2. Stories

**_Disclaimer: I own the OC's, Helios included, but nothing else. Dante, Sparda, and everything else belongs to Capcom. Again: I just own the OC's._**

**_A/N: I'm trying hard to make this a good story. Please forgive me for bad chapters, but how am I going to become a better writer if I don't try?_**

* * *

_Long ago, just as far back in time as Sparda fought for the humans, there was another being fighting for our world._

_Helios._

_Helios was neither man nor demon, but rather, a dragon. He was a feared red and black beast, but he used his wisdom and his God-given strengths for good. Once, Sparda and Helios crossed paths, making each other a pact. That pact was lost in time. Helios's journeys are famous legends that will forever be rumors, fated to become nothing more than bedtime stories._

_Sparda became a famous hero, and Helios disappeared…_

"Many years passed, and the legend of Helios was forgotten. His children grew up and were happy, and the human race was safe again," an older woman, maybe 50 years of age, read from an aged book, its cover was made wrinkled red leather. "Of course, that's just the beginning."

Moira Damascus read to the children at the Harper-Donald Library, Mrs. Damascus the mother of the head librarian.

Joan Donald shook her head as she stood next to her younger sister, Augustine Damascus. "You'd think Mom would get tired of reading to the children, but instead she comes here without a complaint, and usually reads to them from that silly book of fairytales."

Augustine smiled. "What's silly to you matters to her. You know Dad wrote that book with families in mind. No one can resist the tales of brave dragons saving the planet while befriending Sparda. Or stories of how smart princesses save the world from evil scarabs."

Joan rolled her eyes before turning to go back to her office. "Augustine you'll never grow up, will you?"

Augustine shook her head. "Nope, I never will. But that's why I'm the cute daughter." Augustine teased.

Big mistake.

Joan scoffed in disgust. "I cannot believe you. I've been there for Mom while Dad's gone on those stupid 'monster fighting' trips. What have you done? Found Dad more ghosts to chase. Face it- You want them to suffer."

Augustine stayed silent. Her comment had been harsh, but Joan's retort had been uncalled for.

As Joan returned to her office, Augustine sighed. "He's not chasing ghosts Joan- He's keeping us safe." Augustine whispered.

Soon Moira had finished reading the story to the children and story hour was over, the children begging for one more story before they got bored and decided to look for books.

Moira stood with a sigh, slipping the book back into her leopard-print tote before smiling at Augustine.

"You're father's book is still popular." Moira said as they left the library.

"Always has, always will be." Augustine said as Moira raised an eyebrow. "What? I have a feeling."

Moira shook her head. " 'Have a feeling'? Or you're assuming?"

"Feeling, assumption, same difference." Augustine said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Moira stopped on the sidewalk next to her navy sedan. "Oh dear. I think I left my reading glasses in the library. Would you mind getting them?" She asked.

Augustine nodded. "Not a problem Mom."

Augustine returned to the library, looking around before spotting her mother's glasses on a bookshelf. She shook her head, retrieving the glasses, before leaving the library.

"Mom?" Augustine reached the car to find her mother nowhere in sight. She looked around her. "Mom?"

"_Augustine…"_ A ghostly whisper breathed as she whipped around, the glasses in one hand.

"Who's there?" She asked, facing a park.

"_Come find me…"_ It breathed.

"How about no?" Augustine growled, her free hand on her hip.

"…_Then I guess we have a problem…"_

After the final whisper everything grew silent.

Augustine exhaled. "Probably just a couple of teenagers playing a prank-" Her words were cut off as a loud rumbling started.

Car alarms began blaring before cracks started appearing in the road and on the sidewalk. Augustine tucked the glasses into a pocket of her long leather coat before grabbing onto the sedan to keep from falling over.

"Now what?" She growled through clenched teeth.

The earthquake grew stronger as people fled buildings before a loud CRACK sounded.

Augustine's head whipped in the direction of the sound, looking downhill from the hill the library was situated on. Something was under the street, and was coming uphill towards her.

"Great." She grumbled under her breath, stumbling over to the trunk of the car and using the spare key she had to open the trunk before reaching into the trunk.

"Augustine!" Joan yelled as Augustine looked around the lid of trunk. "Get away from there!"

Augustine snatched Beowulf, the sword her father had given her that was almost as tall as her 5'8" frame, out of the trunk before running away from the car, the road exploding upwards as something broke through.

"What is that thing!?" Joan yelled as Augustine pushed her sister back inside the library.

"I don't know, but I think I'm going to find out!" Augustine yelled, her sister safely inside, before she turned around.

It was a large black serpentine creature; only it had two arms along with two horns. And when I write large, I mean huge.

"Okay Ugly; I really, really don't want to cause any more damage to the area then what has already been caused by the earthquake and well, you, so could you just go back to where you came from?" Augustine negotiated as she approached the serpent, her sword on her back.

It looked at her with two beady black eyes before roaring a strange roar/hiss, its forked tongue visible.

Augustine shuddered. "I guess not. Well- Good thing I know how to fight."

It slammed a fist down on the pavement, the pavement caving in as it rushed towards her.

Augustine turned, running up the front wall of the library before back flipping. She landed on a sedan, its alarm still blaring, as she shook her head. "You really don't like me, do you?"

As the creature hit the car, Augustine leapt into the air before grabbing onto a horizontal flagpole with one hand, spinning on it before landing on her feet on top of the pole in a crouch.

"Y'know, that hurt my feelings." She said with a pout.

It roared, grabbing for her, before she leapt into the air, landing on its arm before running up it.

As it shook its arm, trying to shake her off, she leapt again, landing on its head. "Okay Ugly- Calm down- Oh man!" Augustine abruptly yelled as it shook its head, sending her flying away.

Augustine fell through the air, going downhill, the creature diving under the pavement again and disappearing momentarily before shooting out of the street under Augustine. It snatched her out of the air with one hand.

Augustine thrashed about, trying to free herself, before it held her up to its face.

_You are the one. _A calm voice said, and yet she never saw the creature speak.

"What? I'm the one what?" Augustine asked, confused.

"Hey, Ugly!" A man yelled as both the creature and Augustine looked to see who had yelled. A man in a long red leather coat with white-blonde hair stood nearby on the top of an SUV. "I suggest you put the lady down."

It narrowed its eyes at him, hissing. _Be gone human!_ It ordered.

He shook his head, a smirk on his handsome face. "I don't think so. You see," he hopped off the SUV and approached the creature, one hand holding a sword over his shoulder, "my job is to make you guys leave people like her alone." He nodded at Augustine.

'_You guys'? _The creature asked in confusion.

"What do you mean people like me?!" Augustine yelled before the creature opened its hand, dropping her. "HELP!" She yelped, falling.

* * *

Dante frowned, strapping Rebellion to his back, before taking a running jump into the air, catching Augustine, before landing on his feet. " 'People like you' are civilians," Dante explained as he put Augustine on her feet, "civilians that are not supposed to be fighting things like that." He nodded at the creature.

It growled at him as Augustine crossed her arms, smiling smugly.

With a sudden shriek, it clawed at its arm before disappearing beneath the road again, Dante and Augustine running over to the hole.

It went down, leaving a long hole of broken pipes and ruined subway tracks before it was too far down to be seen.

Augustine and Dante exchanged looks of confusion before looking back down.

* * *

Julian stared sullenly out the window of his office on the 32nd floor of his company's building.

Julian Corp. had flourished after his company began creating successful cures for various cancers, and now they were working on ways to prevent cancers, all kinds, from ever happening.

The door opened behind him as his secretary entered the room.

"Did you find them?" He asked as the woman looked at the floor.

"No sir," she said softly, "but we've found a new lead as to where they are."

He sighed. "Find them. I don't care how much money I have to spend, just find them. We're running out of time."

"Yes sir," the woman nodded. "The information on _her_ has been updated, so we know where she is." She explained before leaving. _Her _and 'them' were three different people.

He sighed wearily. They were almost out of time.

_We have to find Pandora before it's too late. _He thought.

With a sad shake of his head, he turned his chair around before opening a file on the computer. "Pandora Richards. Last seen in Lawrence, Kansas." He said as he read the updated information on her. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed one hand on his jaw. "Looks like I've got a trip to make then."

* * *

_**Review if you want, don't if you don't. Flamers will be ignored.**_


	3. FarSee

**_Disclaimer: I own the OC's and nothing else._**

**_A/N: In my opinion the order of the Devil May Cry games is 3124, with the Devil May Cry anime set not long after DMC 1, so this story is set a little while before game #2. I also decided that Patty should be a part of the story, so yes, she's here as well._**

* * *

"Erg- Patty!?" Lady yelled as she stood next to Dante's desk in Devil May Cry.

_Isn't this a familiar scene?_ She thought wryly, thinking back to a humorous incident about a year-and-a-half after Dante had met Patty.

Lady had been standing exactly where she was standing now and had called for Patty just like she had now.

The stubborn-yet-sweet blonde child appeared from behind the desk, causing Lady to raise an eyebrow.

"Yes?" Patty asked, smiling.

Lady shook her head. "Patty I know you're trying to keep the office cleaner, but where are Agni and Rudra?" The talking swords were suspiciously absent and Lady needed to ask them some questions about a demon lurking in a nearby abandoned building. She had yet to see it, but rumor had it that the demon was, in fact, a possessed sword.

She was not in the mood to fight with, or talk to, a possessed sword.

Patty blinked before shrinking back. "Please don't be mad…" She whispered, tears coming to her blue eyes.

Lady sighed, rubbing forehead. "What did _He_ do with them?" _Him_ being Dante.

Patty shook her head. "Dante didn't do anything with them."

_Trish._ Lady, annoyed, thought. "Okay, what did Trish do with them?"

Patty shook her head. "It wasn't either of them. It was… Me."

Lady blinked. "What?" She asked, incredulous.

Patty sighed and looked at the floor as her shoulders slumped before she looked up at Lady with tears streaming down her face. "All I wanted was to have a tea party with someone, and since you never want to have a tea party and Trish is strange and Dante's… Dante… I only had them to talk to! I'm so sorry!" She wailed before lunging towards Lady and hugging her legs, still crying.

Lady resisted the urge to force Patty to let go and instead awkwardly pat Patty on the head. "It's okay… Where are they exactly?"

Patty looked up, suddenly done crying. "You mean you're not mad at me?" She asked.

"No." Lady stated. _Not yet._ She added in thought. _If those two idiot swords decided to start a karaoke club or something then I will be mad._

"Good." Patty chirped with a smile, letting go before skipping away. "Follow me!"

Lady sighed, shaking her head as she followed Patty.

Soon they reached Patty's room and Patty skipped over to the window, throwing the curtains open as Lady blinked at all the pink in the room.

Her eyes scanned the room before landing on a pile of stuffed animals, the two swords dressed in wigs, lipstick, and bright eye shadow.

She slapped her forehead, shaking her head as Patty giggled.

"You think she's spotted us?" Agni asked Rudra.

"I don't know." Rudra replied.

"Nice lipstick, Agni." Lady said sarcastically, referring to the bright red lipstick Agni wore.

Rudra burst into laughter as Agni frowned and muttered about how he would have looked better if he had been wearing a dusty-rose lipstick shade.

"And Rudra," Rudra stopped laughing, "I never knew you would look that good in bright blue eye shadow." Lady said with a smirk.

It was Agni's turn to laugh as Rudra frowned; grumbling about how navy was more of his color.

Lady shook her head at the memory. Those were the good old days…

"What?!" Patty yelled from the kitchen, clanging following.

Lady rolled her eyes. "Where are Agni and Rudra? I need them!"

Patty stomped into the room with a scowl, her blue eyes aflame. "How should I know? I haven't done anything with them." She said while running a hand through her short flaming red hair.

The sweet child of just a couple of years ago had changed into a snarling 15-year-old.

Lady frowned. "Well Dante wouldn't have either with him while he's out seeing if the reports of an underground demon are true, so that just leaves you."

Patty threw the towel she was holding to the floor and stomped her foot, her shoes lime green platform sandals. "Why is it always _my_ fault?! You guys always blame me for losing things that you guys loose and then later, after you've found them, you don't even apologize! I hate you all!" She screamed before bursting into tears and running upstairs. Seconds later a door slammed shut.

Lady raised an eyebrow and shook her head before the doors to Devil May Cry slammed open and Trish walked in, Agni and Rudra strapped to her back as they chattered away about tea, bagels, and oddly enough, jigsaw puzzles.

"You've had Agni and Rudra?" Lady asked the blonde demon as Trish put the swords back.

"Of course. I needed them to talk to a chatty demonic trashcan." Trish explained, turning to face Lady. "Why?"

Lady pointed over her shoulder, in the direction of Patty's room as it sounded like things were getting thrown at a wall. "Because I just asked Patty where they were."

Trish winced. "Great. I told her to tell you or Dante that I was taking them. I guess she didn't listen."

Screams of anger sounded from Patty's room as Lady winced. "I'll say."

* * *

Augustine muttered every oath, curse, and nonsense word she knew in the time of half-an-hour as the police swarmed the scene of the… Incident.

Joan tried in vain to keep people in the library, but curiosity got the best of them.

A troop of guards arrived at the 45-minute mark, whispers of the guards being from the Order of the Sword as Augustine and Joan exchanged looks before slipping away to the park.

"…So you have no idea where Mom is?" Joan asked after listening to Augustine's tale as they walked slowly through the park.

Augustine eyed the shadows as they walked. "No, I don't."

Joan muttered some curses. "Well that's just great Augustine. First Dad ups and disappears on another 'hunting' trip, and then Mom vanishes. And both of the times you're the one left standing there, knowing something and not saying anything."

Augustine and Joan stopped and faced each other, Augustine's hands, covered in black leather gloves, balled into fists.

"Maybe Credo was right about you. Maybe you're just an epic failure." Joan said bluntly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Augustine blasted, shoving Joan. "Just because you crazy best-friend says I'm failure doesn't mean that I am!"

Joan shoved Augustine back. "It means that ever since you came here, you've ruined everyone's life!"

Augustine's dark eyes flamed. "Take it back!" She yelled, decking her sister.

Joan glared at her sister from the ground before Augustine turned to leave.

With a battle cry, Joan scrambled to her feet and tackled her sister in the back of the knees. "You're a failure!" She screamed, pulling Augustine's hair.

"OW! LET ME GO!" Augustine screamed, blindly clawing at her sister's arm. The gloves were not helping.

Clapping sounded, breaking up the fight as both sisters looked up to see the man who had caught Augustine standing nearby. And he was the source of the clapping.

"Ladies, ladies," he said, finished clapping, "you don't need to fight over me."

"I'm married you pig!" Joan snapped, standing before Augustine scrambled to her feet, rubbing the back of her head.

The man shrugged. "Your loss."

"Not really." Joan scoffed.

He lazily smirked before turning to Augustine. "And what about you? Are you taken?"

Augustine smirked back, removing the glove from her left hand before holding her left hand up. A sapphire, ruby, and emerald engagement ring sat on her left ring finger. "Engaged. Sorry."

He pouted before shrugging. "Oh well. I guess your father's request to look after you needn't be acknowledged any longer."

Within seconds Augustine had removed Beowulf from the straps on her back while Joan drew her silver Desert Eagle Quicksilver.

Augustine pointed the sword at the man as Joan aimed at him. "Who are you?" Augustine asked, raising an eyebrow.

The man held up his hands, backing away from them. "Oh, just a friend of your father's…" With that he turned and bolted away.

The sisters exchanged looks before Augustine took off after him, yelling at him to quit being a coward and to fight.

Joan holstered Quicksilver with a laugh, shaking her head before an electric shock ran through her body, her hands flying to her head as she whimpered in pain.

Flashes of flames, darkness, and horrifying creatures flashed before her eyes before she found herself floating down a dark corridor made of stone. She passed cells with terrified people hiding in them before reaching a large wooden door. It was bolted shut from the outside, but she floated through it before seeing inside the room with a gasp of shock. A man who looked exactly like the one they had just encountered was curled in a ball in one corner, and he was chained to the wall. He wore brown pants, boots, a torn shirt, and a tattered, long blue leather coat.

He shook with fear as thunderous footsteps came down the hall towards them. He closed his pale blue eyes as one name slipped from Joan's mouth:

"Vergil." She whispered before she was ripped from the room and she collapsed.

"Joan!" Credo yelled, running over to her as she shook her head. "Joan, are you all right?" He asked her as he reached her, kneeling beside her.

She nodded. "I'm fine- Just dehydrated." She lied as he frowned before nodding.

"Come- Let's get you out of the park." He said as he helped her to her feet. One of the unnamed guards stood nearby, giving her the creeps. "Where is Augustine?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I…" _What do I tell him? He's my best friend- He, Kyrie, and Nero are practically part of the family- But that guard…_ "She and I argued about how foolhardy she was for going after that… Thing, and then she just left." Joan lied again, wondering just how many more times throughout the day she would lie.

But the lie worked.

Credo, still frowning, sighed. "I will need to speak with her about what she saw."

Joan nodded. "I know. She knows. It'll be okay Credo." She said with a small smile.

Credo nodded again. "I trust you Joan." He said before he helped her from the park, Joan resisting the urge to check over her shoulder for Augustine as she felt someone watching her.

* * *

Augustine chased the man in red until she realized that she had lost him.

With a disgusted shake of her head, she left the woods, which was a part of the park, and started down a seldom-traveled road for the office- Which was also her home.

* * *

From a high tree, perched on a stable branch, Dante watched with a smirk. She had no idea that he was right there…

"Well, I guess it's time to get back to Devil May Cry." Dante said as he stood on the branch, dusting his hands off.

He failed to notice the beehive hanging over his head before he bumped into it, awakening an angry swarm of bees.

With a muffled yelp, Dante hopped from that tree to the next before climbing to the ground and running away, the swarm chasing him.

* * *

Far away from their world, Vergil shivered in one corner of his prison. Even though there were always flames, it was almost always cold.

Oh how he wished that he hadn't been so arrogant as to think that he could fight his way through here, and fight his way back out. Even he couldn't succeed…

Vergil shivered again as he felt someone watching him. _They_ were always watching him, waiting for him to just give in and give up, but he wouldn't. He couldn't.

Years, or was it decades?, he had spent down here. A long time ago he had heard whispers that someone called Nelo Angelo had fought Dante and lost, so that gave him hope…

…Unless it had been a lie.

_Vergil…_ His head snapped up at the whisper. That's one thing he promised himself- He would not forget his name. _They_ couldn't make him, no matter what lies _they_ told him.

He could hear _them_ coming up the hall as he shivered once more. He curled himself into a ball as visions of a woman with short black hair and two-tone eyes ran through his mind.

What had been her name?

_No! No I cannot forget her name! Please, please. _He silently begged as he heard the door being unlocked. _Lady!_

Vergil didn't know that the footsteps were actually chasing a phantom woman. That the door was actually being slammed into by said phantom woman, not being unlocked.

* * *

"AFTER HER!" One lizard-man of a demon roared, chasing the phantom.

The other three stumbled over each other as they chased her before she went through a wall. Of course, they were moving too fast to stop.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They screamed, crashing into the wall and creating a new doorway into the gym. The fifth new doorway that month.

The first one hit his forehead as he shook his head. They were all bumbling idiots!

After an hour they had collected several reports that the phantom woman had gone through the ceiling, of the highest floor, meaning either two things.

1: Someone, as a prank, had put a canister of laughing gas in the air filtration system- Again.

Or 2: A human had just used their far-see powers to find someone down there.

Their money was on the first one.

* * *

**_Review if you like, don't if you don't. Thanks to those who do review. And thank you MysticGypsyGirl for the reviews!_**

**_Bonus note: I would have done a classic diamond ring for Augustine, but I decided 'It's a Devil May Cry fic for crying outloud- Forget classic and go with something flashy, pretty, and cool!' So that's why I choose her ring. That's it- No long, flashy story behind that._**


	4. Brothers

_**Disclaimer: Do I look like I own anything aside from the OC's? Nope. I only own the OC's and nothing else- Sorry.**_

**_Author's Note: Yeah I know, I'm kind of a crazy writer. Note the pen name. I live up to the 'extreme' part of it!_**

* * *

Augustine stormed into Damascus Investigations, slamming the door shut behind her just before the phone started ringing.

After jumping at the ringing of the phone, resulting in her jumping into the chandelier, she climbed back down to the floor before answering the persistent phone.

"Damascus Investigations, formerly M. Damascus Investigations. How may I help you?" Augustine answered, taking a seat at her desk.

"Who's this?" Was the question from what sounded like an annoyed woman.

"Augustine Damascus- M. Damascus's daughter." Augustine said as she removed her gloves, her boots propped up on the desk while the phone was cradled between her head and her shoulder.

"Oh." Was the woman's short response. There was an awkward moment of silence before she spoke again, starting with clearing her throat loudly. "Yes, this is Charlene Monticello. I once hired Mr. Damascus in the hopes of removing a bat-being from my attic."

"Did he successfully remove it?" Augustine asked as she began filing her nails, her eyes half-closed.

"No." The woman stated bluntly.

Augustine's eyes widened. " 'No'?" She echoed, confused as she stopped filing her nails. "Is that why you are calling me?"

The woman snorted. "Heaven's sake, no. I politely asked the bat-being to move out, and I even found it a new place to reside like you father suggested I do so, but that's not the point."

_Well after the 'Heaven's sake no' I figured as much. _Augustine thought wryly.

"The reason why I'm calling you is because I believe that there is a dragon leaving in the forest behind my home." The woman said casually, like she was explaining the weather.

Augustine took her boots off the desk as she held the phone with one hand.. "Um… Say again?"

The woman sighed. "There is a dragon, a big scaly creature, in the forest behind my home. Can you get it to leave?"

Augustine ran her free hand through her hair before holding it out in front of her. Wrong hand- No engagement ring on it.

With a sigh, Augustine nodded. "Yeah, I can. Where are you?"

"Lawrence, Kansas." The woman said simply.

Augustine sighed again. "All righty. I just need your name and address and then I'll make arrangements."

The woman laughed. "I forgot how busy you _beings _at Damascus Investigations could be." She sighed. "Well, my name is Elizabeth Shers."

As if the world froze over, Augustine felt the room grow very cold. "Who are you?" Augustine asked, standing. _Wait- Didn't this... Thing just say that her name was Charlene Something-or-other?! _Augustine thought in alarm.

The woman- Whatever her name was- Chuckled again. "I suggest you hurry, because your brother is on the verge of being found by some very mean dragon hunters."

"My bro- Who, no, what are you?! What do you know?!" Augustine asked, enraged.

"Goodbye Augustine Damascus- Or should I say Flamius?" She, it, said with a chuckle before hanging up.

Augustine froze, the dial tone ringing in her ear, before she calmly hung up the phone…

The calm didn't last for long.

With a scream that rattled the windows, Augustine threw Beowulf at a nearby dartboard, the sword hitting its mark and imbedding itself in the wall.

Holding her head between her hands, she sat back down. "I have… No brother… Who is a dragon…" She whispered in pain.

Jude Damascus was the only brother she had ever had, and he currently was in California at college.

Unless…

"…Scorpio." Augustine breathed, her eyes widening.

* * *

As Dante strolled back into Devil May Cry, the phone began ringing. Lady answered it before Dante could.

She listened before extending her arm, the phone in her hand, out to Dante. "It's for you." She said.

With a lazy smile, Dante took the phone from her. "Hello?"

Whatever the person on the other side said made Dante frown before tossing the phone over his shoulder and back into its cradle.

"Who was that?" Trish asked, sashaying into the room.

"My doctor's office. Something about how I need to lay off the pizza and strawberry sundaes." Dante grumbled with crossed arms.

Lady held back a smirk as Trish laughed. "It's about time." Trish said

Dante scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Trish only smiled as the phone rang again before Dante snatched it up and answered with a growled, "What?"

"Dante? How ya' doing ya' old bat?" A man asked with a boisterous laugh.

Dante raised an eyebrow. "And who are you?"

The man coughed before clearing his throat. "Listen man I know we've never met but someone you once helped recommended you."

"I'm hanging up now." Dante said, slowly moving the phone away from his ear.

"Wait I'll pay you!" The man yelled.

Dante smiled as he moved the phone back. "Okay. What's the problem?"

The man sighed in belief. "Oh do I have a tale for you."

"Cut to the chase buddy- I get bored easily." Dante said, avoiding a long phone conversation that was probably a long-distance call.

"…There's a hoard of demons building something in the woods behind my house. Could you please stop them?" The man asked meekly.

"Mm… What kind of demons?" Dante asked him casually as Trish rolled her eyes.

"I don't know! They're big, ugly, scaly, and lime green! They glow in the dark for Heaven's sake!" The man yelled as Dante winced.

"Chill man. We'll talk about the cost when I get there. Um- Where is 'there', exactly?" Dante asked as Lady silently thanked God. For once Dante had gotten a job on his own- And without anyone trashing a part of Devil May Cry.

As soon as Dante had hung up the phone with the information, a shattering noise sounded. Seven grim-reaper-like demons appeared as Dante sighed. "Looks like this is going to be-"

"Shut up!" One of the demons roared.

Lady and Trish exchanged looks as Dante suddenly grew very still and very, very quiet.

That meant only one thing: Dante was now beyond angry and seeing red. And no, he did not have his coat on his head or something equally as dorky.

* * *

Vergil cringed as the door opened.

"Get up human." A creature snapped.

Vergil did as he was told before the chains that bound him were removed.

"Well," one said, "looks like you are going home."

_Home?_ Vergil wondered in his mind. _No! It is a trick!_

The creatures laughed. "We see your doubt." One said.

"But we know the truth." The other added.

"You are leaving." The finished in unison.

"Oh. May I tag along?" Jester asked from somewhere up the hall.

"Silence!" They both roared before dragging Vergil out of his cell.

Soon Vergil was handed Yamato before being shoved through a portal, guiding him back to the human world.

The demons sighed in relief. The frightening son of Sparda was out of their lives…

For now.

* * *

_**See you when I update next!**_

–_**Extreme.**_


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